Is London's Smithfield meat market operating for over 800 years to permanently close?
The corporation announced the permanent closure of London's historic Smithfield meat market and Billingsgate fish market in late 2024, when it pulled the plug on a planned £1bn relocation to a new sitein the east of the capital at Dagenham.
The announcement by the City of London Corporation in November that Smithfield market is to close after almost 900 years of trading has been met with surprise and dismay. Many Londoners fear Smithfield's special sense of place will be lost for good as a result.
Is Smithfield and Billingsgate historic London markets to close after over 800 years?
The oldest meat and fish markets in London, which date back 850 years, are facing permanent closure from 2028. Smithfield meat market, near St Paul's Cathedral, and Billingsgate fish market in Canary Wharf are to be closed after the City of London Corporation voted to withdraw support for them.
The historic meat market will move to a new location “within the M25” when its current location closes in 2028, a group representing traders said in a joint statement with the City of London on Monday.
Is London's 850 year old Smithfield meat market set to close?
The mainly covered market will close by 2028, said the City of London Corporation, explaining that it had dropped its plans to relocate it to Dagenham, in the capital's eastern suburbs, a project that had become "unaffordable" due to "external factors, including inflation and the increasing cost of construction." Since ...
Exploring SMITHFIELD: The UK’s Largest Meat Market at 1AM | Walking Tour
What will replace the Smithfield market?
If the plans proceed, the Smithfield site will become home to the new London Museum, while the land at Canary Wharf that will be unlocked by relocating Billingsgate could provide around 2,000 new homes, it said.
Can the general public buy meat from the Smithfield market?
Can the public buy? Anyone can buy meat, poultry and provisions at Smithfield. It is open to the public by Charter: walk through the Market, look around, talk to the salesmen on the front of the stalls.
The corporation decided in a separate vote last November to permanently close Smithfield and Billingsgate when it pulled the plug on a planned £740m relocation to a new site in the east of the capital at Dagenham, blaming rising costs.
Smithfield Market is the largest wholesale meat market in the UK and one of the largest in Europe. Located within the Square Mile of the City of London it is housed in two Grade-II listed buildings.
Still, the news this week that Smithfield will close — its owner, the City of London Corporation, killed a plan to move the market to a new site in East London — came as something of a jolt to him.
Jason Holland. Billingsgate fish market – which is the oldest fish market in the U.K. capital of London and what was once the world's largest fish market – is set to close in 2028 after the City of London Corporation recently decided to withdraw its support.
London's historic Smithfield meat market is to close for good after the City of London Corporation voted to pull out of plans to relocate it and Billingsgate fish market to Dagenham.
Billingsgate's site near Canary Wharf is set to be transformed into some 4,000 new homes; meanwhile, Smithfield is set to be regenerated into a “cultural and commercial hub” to accompany the new London Museum, set to open next year in a once-abandoned section of the market.
Increasing traffic restrictions, congestion and other practical considerations such as constrained sites, and in the case of Smithfield a Grade II* listed site, mean Traders are unable to grow and prosper by staying in their present locations.
It has been confirmed that Dublin's Victorian fruit and veg market in Smithfield will finally reopen in 2026. The historic red brick building on Mary's Lane, between Capel Street and Smithfield, has remained empty since its closure in 2019 to facilitate redevelopment.
Smithfield was almost a city within a city – and one with its own hours. To give customers time to buy and prepare their meat for sale the same day, the market opened at night.
The City Guides run walking tours of Smithfield for members of the public on a monthly basis. Hear how Smithfield meat market has changed throughout its 800 year history and experience its working life first-hand on this special tour.
Is Smithfield meat market operating for 900 years in London to close after vote?
End of an era: Historic 900-year-old London meat market faces the chop by 2028. The UK local authority that manages London's “Square Mile” financial district on Tuesday voted to close the city's historic wholesale meat market from 2028, ending trading dating back to the 1100s.
Joseph W. Luter, Jr. Then known as Shuanghui Group, WH Group purchased Smithfield Foods in 2013 for $4.72 billion. It was the largest Chinese acquisition of an American company to date.
Are Smithfield and Billingsgate iconic London markets face closure after almost 900 years?
After more than 850 years of trading, both historic markets were facing closure. In 2022 it was announced that Billingsgate and Smithfield, two of London's oldest markets, for fish and meat respectively, would be leaving the city centre and moving further east to a £1 billion, 42-acre development in Dagenham.
The decision to go public is expected to solidify Smithfield's position as a major player in the global food industry, while WH Group's divestment allows for streamlined operations and targeted growth initiatives for both entities.
Smithfield Market is one of the oldest markets in London, primarily known for livestock and meat trading. However, it is not specifically a cloth market. The oldest cloth market in London is generally considered to be the 'Cloth Fair' which was established in the 12th century. Therefore, the statement is false.
The corporation announced the permanent closure of London's historic Smithfield meat market and Billingsgate fish market in late 2024, when it pulled the plug on a planned £1bn relocation to a new sitein the east of the capital at Dagenham.
The freehold owner of the site is the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, but the City of London Corporation still runs the market; they pay an annual ground rent stipulated in an agreement between the two councils as "the gift of one fish".
The City of London Corporation has confirmed its plans to redevelop the land currently occupied by the Smithfield and Billingsgate wholesale food markets, along with pledging to help the markets' traders find a new location “within the M25” while also working with Barking & Dagenham Council to make alternative use of ...
